Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys to Malta in June 1942, with only two of six ships completing the journey.
Key Facts
- Convoy direction
- East-bound from Gibraltar
- Ships completing journey
- 2 of 6 ships
- Companion operation
- Operation Vigorous (from Alexandria)
- Intelligence breach
- US attaché Colonel Bonner Fellers
- Code broken by
- Italian Servizio Informazioni Militare
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Malta required urgent resupply in mid-June 1942, as Axis forces dominated the central Mediterranean. Two simultaneous convoys were planned under Operation Julius to improve the odds of success. However, detailed British operational plans had been inadvertently compromised by US Military Attaché Colonel Bonner Fellers, whose coded reports to Washington had been broken by Italian military intelligence.
Operation Harpoon was an east-bound convoy of six merchant ships departing Gibraltar, escorted by Allied warships. Simultaneously, Operation Vigorous sailed west from Alexandria. Vigorous was turned back by the Regia Marina battle fleet after sustained Axis air attacks, while Harpoon fought through at the cost of several Allied warships.
Only two of the six ships in the Harpoon convoy reached Malta, delivering a partial but costly resupply. The operation highlighted the severe vulnerability of Allied convoys in the central Mediterranean and the dangers posed by compromised communications. Ultra intercepts later confirmed that Italian intelligence had broken the American cipher used by Fellers.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent